Tanglewreck

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Something frightening is happening with time. One moment, a time tornado rages through the streets of London, and those caught up in its path vanish without a trace. The next moment a woolly mammoth is seen lumbering along the banks of the River Thames.

At the center of these bizarre time warps is a house called Tanglewreck, which is home to eleven-year-old Silver, her bony and bad-tempered aunt, Mrs Rokabye, and a mysterious clock known as the Timekeeper. Silver doesn't understand exactly what the Timekeeper does, but when two sinister figures come looking for it, she knows instinctively that she must guard it with her life.

Review:

"Quantum mechanics, psychic powers and alchemy blend with adventure in an appealing read for fantasy and science-fiction fans alike....Well-developed main characters add liveliness and suspense to the story..." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Winterson seamlessly combines rousing adventure with time warps, quantum physics, and a few wonderfully hapless flunkies. Her clever science will draw fans of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and her dastardly villains and resourceful youngsters will remind readers of the Lemony Snicket's books..." Booklist

Review:

"The adventure unfolds in a lucid, lyrical blend of fantasy, physics, and theology reminiscent of Madeleine L'Engle....Unabashedly intelligent, Tanglewreck guides readers through an exciting new level of the familiar universe of speculative fantasy." Horn Book

Review:

"Winterson masterfully weaves together an imaginative array of settings and characters to bring the story to its exhilarating fulfillment." School Library Journal

Review:

"Sophisticated readers will find echoes of His Dark Materials, Diana Wynne Jones's A Tale of Time City, and Coraline, but at its best, the book tells its own story and leaves the reader wanting another glimpse into the lives of Silver and Gabriel." VOYA

Synopsis:

Acclaimed, award-winning author Winterson (The King of Capri) delivers a sophisticated, gothic tale about an 11-year-old girl who discovers that her house, called Tanglewreck, is somehow at the center of mysterious time warps.

About the Author

Jeanette Winterson is a Whitbread Prize-winning author of books for adults, including Lighthousekeeping and Written on the Body, as well as The King of Capri. This is her first novel for young adults. She lives in London.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

crowyhead, February 4, 2008 (view all comments by crowyhead)
This children's fantasy started out strong, but peters out a bit in the end. The basic idea is that all over the world, people are being caught up in "time storms" that sweep them out of their appropriate time and scatter them through time and space. Somehow connected to these time warps is a rambling old house called Tanglewreck, where an young girl named Silver lives with her malicious old aunt, Mrs. Rockaby.

There are some really fantastically witty elements to this book, my favorite possibly being Mrs. Rockaby's unusual accomplice in evil, a large malevolent rabbit named Bigamist. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, all of the plotlines are in a somewhat incomprehensible tangle. I don't know if Winterson intends to write a sequel; the book certainly leaves things open for one, and that could help straighten some of the plot elements out. Overall, though, I can only recommend this with reservations, and I don't think it works particularly well for the age group it's intended for.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)

"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"Quantum mechanics, psychic powers and alchemy blend with adventure in an appealing read for fantasy and science-fiction fans alike....Well-developed main characters add liveliness and suspense to the story..."

"Review"
by Booklist,
"Winterson seamlessly combines rousing adventure with time warps, quantum physics, and a few wonderfully hapless flunkies. Her clever science will draw fans of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and her dastardly villains and resourceful youngsters will remind readers of the Lemony Snicket's books..."

"Review"
by Horn Book,
"The adventure unfolds in a lucid, lyrical blend of fantasy, physics, and theology reminiscent of Madeleine L'Engle....Unabashedly intelligent, Tanglewreck guides readers through an exciting new level of the familiar universe of speculative fantasy."

"Review"
by School Library Journal,
"Winterson masterfully weaves together an imaginative array of settings and characters to bring the story to its exhilarating fulfillment."

"Review"
by VOYA,
"Sophisticated readers will find echoes of His Dark Materials, Diana Wynne Jones's A Tale of Time City, and Coraline, but at its best, the book tells its own story and leaves the reader wanting another glimpse into the lives of Silver and Gabriel."

"Synopsis"
by ing hold,
Acclaimed, award-winning author Winterson (The King of Capri) delivers a sophisticated, gothic tale about an 11-year-old girl who discovers that her house, called Tanglewreck, is somehow at the center of mysterious time warps.

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